The present invention in general relates to wheelchairs that may be folded along a longitudinal axis in order to make them more compact and easier to transport.
Modern wheelchairs typically consist of a left frame portion and a right frame portion, each of which have wheels mounted thereto. The left and right frame portions are interconnected by foldable frame members so that the entire chair may be folded and the right and left frame members brought together to make the chair more compact and easier to transport. Wheelchairs will usually have arm rest portions that extend upwardly away from the frame and thus make the entire chair less compact. In addition, leg supports will usually extend forwardly in front of the chair and also result in the entire chair being less compact. These arm rests and leg supports are necessary for the comfort of the seat occupant but they do significantly increase the size of the folded wheelchair.
Another problem frequently encountered with modern wheelchairs is that the leg and arm rests are not easily adjustable in order to accommodate various types of activities or the growth of a child.
It is important that a wheelchair can be adjusted so that it can be utilized by a chair occupant in various activities. For instance, the arm rest may be quite important when the occupant is being pushed or when he is moving slowly. However, if the occupant is self-propelling his chair by turning the wheels, the arm rest may well be in the way. The seat occupant may typically do this on many occasions; for instance, he may be a participant in a wheelchair race. The seat occupant may also wish to adjust his position within the chair by changing the elevation of the leg supports.
For all of these reasons, it would be beneficial to have a wheelchair that can be folded along a longitudinal axis and in which the leg supports and arm rests may be positioned so that they do not add significantly to the size of the overall folded wheelchair and thus make if less transportable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheelchair that can be folded and in which the leg supports and arm rests have a folded position from which they will not add significantly to the overall size of the folded wheelchair assembly. In addition, the leg supports and arm rests can be adjusted while the chair is in its unfolded use position so that the arm rests and leg supports can accommodate various activities of the seat occupant.